The Greensheet: April 2025

The Greensheet is Fusion Worldwide’s monthly market intelligence report highlighting critical developments across the electronic component supply chain. The April edition spotlights tariff volatility and its effects across multiple product categories, including CPUs, GPUs, ICs, and passives. It also examines customer and supplier responses to ongoing trade tensions, semiconductor production shifts, and market disruptions caused by policy changes in China. Broader insights into supply chain dynamics, pricing pressures, and manufacturing investments provide a forward-looking view into how global sourcing strategies are evolving in 2025.

Tariff Updates

Current State

• Tariff volatility continues: Despite recent changes, the situation remains similar to early April. The Reciprocal Tariff regime triggered sharp pricing swings and demand for U.S. stock before a 90-day pause was enacted. 
• Temporary exemptions now cover smartphones, PCs, HDDs, SSDs, and GPUs—but not passives, connectors, or PSUs, which remain under a 10% tariff. 
• Lead times are extending for constrained passives like tantalum capacitors.

What’s Next

• The administration may reintroduce tariffs at any time before the 90-day pause ends. 
• For broader semiconductor tariffs, two possible paths: 
  • IEEPA: Allows fast, emergency tariffs via presidential authority—unlikely for semiconductors due to scale and complexity. 
  • Section 232: A national security-based route already underway. If pursued, final implementation could occur by early 2026, enabling advance buying and stockpiling—similar to 2018–19. 

China’s “Country of Diffusion” Policy

• China has changed its tariff basis from just Country of Origin to include Country of Diffusion—i.e., where wafers are fabricated. 
• This affects U.S.-based IDM fabs (e.g., TI, Intel, ADI, Micron), even if final assembly is overseas. 
• Result: Widespread confusion, halted shipments, and relabeling efforts. Scarcity and volatility have increased inside China.

Market and Customer Response

• Cautious Behavior:  Many customers have adopted a “wait-and-see” approach, pausing major purchases or relying on finance/procurement to assess risks. 
• Buffer Stocking: Select customers are using the 90-day pause to pull in DRAM, CPUs, and other strategic stock. 
• Production Shifts:  Manufacturers are transitioning production to Mexico, Malaysia, Vietnam, or domestic sites to reduce exposure to China-related tariffs. 
• Cost Pass-Throughs:  Companies are building tariff line items into quotes or adjusting downstream pricing. 
• Operational Disruptions: Customs delays are mounting for assemblies with China-origin or aluminum content 
• Downstream Demand Softening:  OEMs and builders report order slowdowns due to market uncertainty. 
• Limited Impact in Some Areas:  U.S.-based and cloud/server-focused manufacturers remain largely unaffected and continue to operate at full demand. 
• Supply-Side Effects:  Suppliers and OEMs are increasingly withholding stock from the open market, leading to tighter availability and quoting discipline.

Product Updates

Integrated Circuits

• STMicro’s inventory levels have dropped significantly. Compared to 2024, MFG no longer faces inventory pressure and has ceased approving special contract pricing. 
• Demand for MCUs and MEMS sensors has been rising, leading to fluctuating market prices. Despite this, lead times remain stable at approximately 12–18 weeks. 
•  STMicro has been prioritizing MEMS sensors. Given the strong market capacity, this presents a promising area for future focus. 
• Texas Instruments’ TCAN series faces ongoing supply issues due to production line upgrades, impacting automotive customers. 
• TI's own inventory is nearly depleted (exclude market availability) as supply side observed.TPS5 series (AI / server applications demand increased) is experiencing MFR delays. Automotive items with loner lead time, series such as TLIN-Q1, TCAN-Q1, and TPS5-Q1 with lead times extended to around 20 weeks.

CPU

• Intel has signaled severe constraints across its 10nm processors. Particularly on Raptor Lake families mobile CPU’s supply recovery not expected until August 2025. Impact across other series under 10nm processors are soon to be known. Tier 1 customers foresee upcoming supply gap. 
• Demand for AMD’s EPYC Genoa and Turin CPUs remains strong, particularly in enterprise AI workloads.  
• Recent market uncertainties for the Milan series may lead to pricing instability. Prices may increase. 
• Qualcomm is seeing strong demand for its Snapdragon platform, driven by premium smartphone launches and increasing adoption of AI-powered PCs. 
• Intel's Skylake series is facing unexpected EOL, with last-time buys required by September 2025 and final shipments ending September 2026.

GPU

• NVIDIA continues prioritizing Blackwell GPU shipments for key clients, leaving limited availability for others 
• Reports suggests NVIDIA is prioritizing GeForce cards for gamers over data center use, with shortages of 5080/5090 GPUs in Q2. 
• Growing interest in the RTX 6000 ADA remains high, as well as L40S. 
• The RTX 6000 Ada is expected to see tight supply following the announcement of the RTX 6000 Blackwell with shifted production resources. 
• AMD’s 7900XTX delivers superior performance in AI workloads compared to NVIDIA’s 4080, making it an increasingly popular choice for cost-sensitive data centers seeking efficient and powerful solutions.

Motherboards

• Supermicro continues its strategic shift toward integrated server solutions, halting individual motherboard sales. This has led to increased demand for alternative brands, especially for Deepseek-based data models. 
• A new shortage of Supermicro motherboards using AMD processors has emerged, with no firm ETAs available.

Networking Cards

• Broadcom's BCM56980 networking ICs now face 50-week lead times as discounted inventory is depleted. 
• Broadcom has announced price increases of up to 8% for its networking components, citing rising raw material costs and tariff-related pressures. The hike affects products like Ethernet controllers and fiber optic transceivers.

RDIMM

• DDR4 32GB/64GB prices are increasing due to constrained supply. 
• Demand for is rising for DDR5-500, driven by AI server adoption. Pricing for these modules is stabilizing but may see slight increases in Q2. 
• SK Hynix has confirmed that it will implement monthly price increases for its memory modules starting in Q2 2025 . This decision comes amid rising material costs and strong demand from Tier 1 OEMs. 
• Samsung has formally announced DDR4 EOL with Last-Time-Buy cutoff in June 2025 and Final shipment date in December 2025.

Storage

• Samsung is preparing to reduce production of SSDs and RAM. Simultaneously, Samsung is expanding its High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and automotive-grade electronics to capitalize on growing AI and EV markets. 
• SSD prices are projected to decline further, with major manufacturers cutting production capacity. 
• Major internet companies are increasing demand for 16TB, 20TB, and 24TB HDDs , leading to allocation challenges for smaller customers. 
• Smaller drives (2TB-8TB) face extended lead times due to manufacturers focusing on higher-value models. 
• Sandisk has implemented price increases exceeding 10% effective April 1, with other manufacturers expected to follow. 

Passives

• According to the latest supplier updates, MFG has resumed operations at its Chitose factory, but only for a limited range of products. Allocation will be determined based on customer priority and usage volume. Supply constraints are expected to persist until August. 
• Vishay’s T55 and T550 series tantalum capacitors now have lead times exceeding 36 weeks, reflecting increased demand from industrial and automotive applications. 
• Kemet Polymer Tantalums announces price increases for 2.5V–10V B-case capacitors (47μF–330μF), effective June 1. 
• TE Connectivity enacts April price increases for connectors, driven by rising material costs. 
• Kemet has implemented 10-15% price increases for tantalum capacitors while extending lead times an additional 2-4 weeks. 

Manufacturer News and Company Updates

• Texas Instruments (TI) is laying off workers in Utah despite recently receiving $1.6 billion in federal funding meant to help with the construction of three new semiconductor plants currently under construction in Texas and Utah. 
• Samsung & Micron are now anticipated to raise DRAM/NAND pricing, making consumer memory a lot more pricey.
• TSMC plans to increase U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor manufacturing by $100 billion with three new fabs, two advanced packaging facilities and an R&D center. 
• Broadcom is experiencing high demand for its custom AI chips as cloud computing companies seek cost-effective alternatives to Nvidia's processors. This trend positions Broadcom as a key player in the AI infrastructure market.

Supply Chain Trends

• ​The U.S has restricted exports of its AI processor tailored for China such as the Nvidia H20 and AMD MI308. 
• Following the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand on March 28, 2025, Thailand's manufacturing sector experienced minimal disruptions. The Federation of Thai Industries reported that industrial manufacturing operations across all sectors remained largely unaffected, with critical production infrastructure maintaining full operational status. 
• Leading European automotive manufacturers, including BMW, Volkswagen, and Stellantis, met with EU Commissioners to urge the reduction of transatlantic tariffs. The meeting addressed concerns over the U.S. imposition of a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and an additional 25% tariff on auto parts, which are causing uncertainty and trade disruptions affecting up to €67 billion in EU automotive exports 
• Automotive OEMs are increasingly adopting smart manufacturing practices to mitigate supply chain issues such as chip shortages. Technologies like AI and blockchain are being leveraged to enhance visibility and predictability across supply networks, extending beyond Tier 1 suppliers to the source of raw materials. 

Want a deeper dive into the 2025 electronic component market? 

Download our State of the Industry Report 2025 | Vol. 1  for expert insights on market recovery, pricing trends, and key challenges ahead.